Five Things You Shouldn't Do in the Morning . . . Including Drink Coffee?
If you HATE getting up in the morning, this is for you. It's five things you shouldn't do in the morning, mostly because they make you feel even MORE tired.
1. Hit the snooze button. It's bad because you're likely to enter a sleep cycle you won't be able to finish. So you'll wake up even groggier instead of refreshed.
2. Check email or social media. It's too easy to get sucked in scrolling through your feed while still in bed, and before you know it an hour has gone by. It gets your entire day off on the wrong foot.
3. Leave your bed unmade. According to research, making your bed is associated with increased productivity throughout the rest of the day.
4. Drink coffee. Your body naturally produces higher amounts of the stress hormone cortisol, which regulates energy, between 8 and 9 in the morning. So for most people the best time to drink coffee is after 9:30 A.M.
5. Get ready in the dark. It can be hard to turn the lights on and open the window shades first thing in the morning. But getting ready in the dark can signal to your body that it's still nighttime and make you feel more tired.
If it's still dark outside when you wake up, experts recommend getting a strong light, like the ones used to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder.